Kerala plum cake, Christmas fruit cake recipe step by step

Kerala Plum Cake or Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe – a delicious and easy step by step recipe for fruit cake or Kerala plum cake, that’s perfect for Christmas or really, all year round.
Christmas in Kerala is what memories are made of. I haven’t come back in 6 years so this year is extra special. Except for once or twice when I was a kid, Amma hasn’t made fruit cake at home from scratch because every year we are inundated with fruit cakes from friends celebrating Christmas.

This year’s first cake is this Kerala plum cake from Omana Paul, a popular caterer and good friend of ours. Their plum cake is very popular and they make thousands at this time of the year. Amma had the recipe so I wanted to share it in time for Christmas. I have also shared an eggless fruit cake recipe if that’s what you are after. This tutti frutti cake is perfect for those who don’t really like plum cakes or raisins. I have a few of those in my family too but tutti frutti, they love!

Instructions

It will first melt and then turn into a dark brown goop. Keep stirring and let it turn a deep dark caramel colour. Don’t let it burn.

Turn off heat and add about 1/4 cup water. The sugar will harden.

Turn the heat back on and slowly heat the mixture until the sugar crystals dissolve.

This will take around 10 mins.

Let this cool and set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C.

Add 3 tbsp flour to the dry fruits and nuts and dredge completely to coat it. This is so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the batter while baking. Set aside.

Mix the remaining flour and baking powder, spices, and salt until well combined.

Beat the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until fluffy – about 10 mins by hand, 3-4 mins with an electric beater. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Next, add 1 egg and beat. Then add a bit of the flour mixture and fold. Likewise, alternate between the eggs and flour mixture until they are used up.

Add the cooled caramel and dredged fruits and gently fold in. Pour batter into a greased cake pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 50-55 mins until the top turns a dark brown and when a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with dry crumbs.

Start checking from 45 mins to see if the cake is done.

The top will look like it’s overdone but don’t worry, make sure the inside is also completely cooked.

Dust with icing sugar when the cake is completely cooled

Step by Step Kerala Plum Cake / Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe

This Kerala plum cake recipe requires you to caramelise sugar into a thick sugar syrup. Don’t be like me and worry about it, it’s really not that hard, you just need to be careful while doing it.

In a pan on medium heat, melt 1/2 cup sugar slowly.It will first melt and then turn into a dark brown syrup. Keep stirring and let it turn a deep dark caramel colour. Don’t let it burn.In the pic above, the sugar is just starting to melt along the sides. Gently stir to get it going.More of the sugar is now melting and you should start getting the smell of caramel at this stage. Stir occasionally and keep heating.When it reaches the stage as shown in the above picture, you are ready to move on to the next step.Turn off heat and add 1/4 cup water to the sugar syrup. The syrup will harden a bit and sizzle. Turn the heat back on and slowly heat the mixture until the sugar crystals dissolve.This will take around 10 mins and the mixture will foam and bubble a bit. Once all the sugar crystals are dissolved and you get a smooth syrup, turn off heat. Set aside and let this mixture cool while you proceed with the preparation of the fruit cake.Set the oven to pre heat at 350F / 180C.
Add 3 tbsp flour to the dry fruits and nuts and dredge completely to coat it. This is so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the batter while baking. Set aside.
Mix the remaining flour with baking powder, spices, and salt until well combined.

Mix the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until soft – about 5-6 mins by hand, 2 mins with an electric beater.

Add vanilla and mix until combined.

Next, add 1 egg and beat well until incorporated.Then add 1/3 of the flour mixture and fold gently. Likewise, alternate between the eggs and flour mixture until they are used up. Add the cooled sugar syrup and dredged fruits and gently fold in.Grease a 6″ cake pan generously with butterPour batter into the cake pan and smooth the top gently if unevenBake for 50-55 mins until the top turns a dark brown and when a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with dry crumbs. You can start checking from 45 mins in case your oven bakes the cake faster.The top may look like it’s overdone but don’t worry about that, it’s just the sugar syrup giving the cake crumb a darker colour. Make sure the inside is also completely cooked before you take the cake out of the oven.Typically these are not frosted so just dust the Kerala plum cake with icing sugar when the cake is completely cooled and store in airtight containers in room temperature for up to three days.

Notes:

The amount of fruits and what type you want to use is entirely up to you. I’d recommend to use orange peels if you can because it enhances the flavour a lot. I have also made this cake just with cashew nuts and dates with some raisins and that’s worked really well too

If you plan to ice the cake, reduce sugar by 1/3 cup. This cake is sweet enough on its own.

I have updated the recipe with cinnamon powder and clove powder I bought readymade but you can also powder together 1 clove + 1 cardamom pod + small piece of cinnamon + a pinch nutmeg to add to the cake if you have the whole spices handy

I adjusted the amount of sugar from my original recipe since I found the cake too sweet but if you tried my original recipe and liked it in the past, the measurement for sugar used was 1/2 cup sugar for the syrup and 1 cup in the batter. I have now adjusted it to 3/4 cup for the batter.

What is Kerala plum cake? I get this question a lot especially why this cake is called “plum cake” if there are no plums in the cake. Well, I am not entirely sure either but fruit cake is called plum cake in Kerala and maybe traditionally it always involved plums and the recipe has evolved.

If you don’t want to make the sugar syrup for Christmas cake from scratch, you can buy treacle from stores. It’s a thick sugar syrup that may also include molasses. Use 1/4 cup in place of the sugar syrup in this recipe.

You can replace the cashew nuts with almonds or walnuts too but personally I love cashew nuts in fruit cake.

The cake will be a bit tough to unmould if you don’t grease the cake pan generously

I tried this out 2 days ago and I tasted it right out of the oven and it felt cloyingly sweet. I thought I should have cut down on the sugar as some reviewers have suggested. But it tasted so much better the next day and even better on the third day. I felt the sugar level was perfect for the cake. Thank you for such an authentic recipe 🙂

This cake is the best. Everyone who tasted it loved this cake including my fussy hubby who doesn’t like most of my cakes 😀
I divided the batter between two 5 inch pans and baked for 55 mins.
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe

This is an awesome recipe. It turned out really good. Loved the caramel taste in each bite. Will make it again for a Christmas party in a week. Question – IS the crust supposed to be a bit hard and chewy? The inside was quite crumbly and perfect. Will this cake become moist the next day? IS so I would like to bake it a day in advance for my party

Hi Nags, thank you for sharing this recipe, looks delicious. Could you tell me what is the height of your 6″ cake pan? I have a 6″ diameter cake pan with 1.7″ height. do you think I could bake on that or the cake just going to flow out? And another question, I have sugar cane molasses, could i use that instead of making the syrup (just to save some time)? I’m certain I can, but just wondering it whether it will change the moisture of the cake or something like that. If so, how many tbsp should I use? Sorry for the questionnaire, I’m really willing to bake this soon, certainly not waiting for Christmas. 😛

Hello. I tried this cake two weeks back and I have made it four times till now, that’s how amazing this recipe is. Thank you !
Although I have one problem. No matter how much i dredge my dry fruits in flour they still sink to the bottom. Please help?

I was searching for a plum cake recipie to make this Christmas and stumbled upon yours , your recipie was simple and detailed with all the steps , made around 5 cakes and my friends were very impressed , thanks for sharing

Thank you so much, Nags. Easily the best recipe. I didn’t add tutti fruiti to my cake though. Instead added chopped dates, figs, prunes and orange peel from a fresh orange. They worked great. I had some molasses but didn’t want to change anything with the recipe. But just curious…can I use molasses instead of sugar syrup/treacle? If so, how much? Would it work the same way?

Hi …
Yesterday I made plum cake according to your recipe.it was so tasty,so soft and so good.everybody loved this recipe.thank u so much for this wonderful recipe.but there was one problem that my cake baked 15 mnts early than what u said.may be the difference in ovens

Thanks for your recipe. Was quite impressed by the presentation. Gave it a try,but the result was disappointing. The cake rose, but the cake was too moist and was not able to slice. I have no idea as to what went wrong :(. Can you help me. I feel lost 🙁 :(.

sorry to hear that roshan. could be that your butter was too soft or you added too much water to the sugar syrup/didn’t cook it down well enough. it’s really hard to troubleshoot a cake without knowing what exactly you did

Hi dear
I am planning to do your recipe this weekend f as I found it absolutely wonderful and easy. I have only one question.. can I double the recipe and bake in two pans?
Looking forward to receiving your reply
Thanks
Tina

Hi, I made this cake today. It was yummy. But I found it to be bit moist,I couldn’t make perfect slices since we started to eat when it was still warm. I added 1/4 banana and 2-4 tablespoons of apple juice in which I had soaked fruit and nuts. Is this the reason I got moist cake? Kindly help me to fix it. Thanks

Hi….I’m a novice at baking and stumbled upon your recipe yesterday. Baked this cake for my father’s birthday today as he lives fruitcake…. I.e 2nd April….And it was perfect…I still can’t believe that I have baked such an awesome cake…It tastes like store bought one without the Sicily sweet taste….I’m swooning still…Thanks a ton…This will be my go to recipe now

Hi….I’m a novice at baking and stumbled upon your recipe yesterday. Baked this cake for my father’s birthday today as he lives fruitcake…. I.e 2nd April….And it was perfect…I still can’t believe that I have baked such an awesome cake…It tastes like store bought one without the Sicily sweet taste….I’m swooning still…Thanks a ton…This will be my go to recipe now

thank u very much for u r recipe to make plum n short time, mam thought making plum cake was a big issues but ur making and teaching methods step step with pic really marvellous mam thanks again, pls send me methods of making different types of cake pls God bless u

Thanks so much for the quick and easy recipe for a plum cake that looks like it took hours to prepare and tastes exactly like the ones you get back home! I made it in a bundt pan and it was a little tough to unmould but like you said I will butter up the cake pan more next time. This is a keeper! Thanks Nag love your site

Absolutely fantastic recipe!
I made this cake last week following the recipe exactly except with the addition of one mashed banana. Baked in a 9″ round pan for 55 min. Turned out absolutely amazing – the caramel tastes so rich and it seems to get better with time!
The mashed banana made it moist without changing the taste of the cake. The only change I’d make next time is to use a smaller pan as the slices were thin.
And now that I’m hooked on to the taste of caramel I’m looking forward to making a simple banana bread with caramel.
Thank you for this keeper of a recipe…I think it is better than most store-bought plum cakes!

So, I made this plum cake. I did send you SOS signals regarding the caramel becoming hard… but I just trusted my instincts, warmed it up a little and it melted!! 🙂

The cake turned out awesome. It had a crusty top which I loved and the inside was soft and sweet. The fruits however sunk to the bottom. Also, I had to use a 9″ baking pan… not sure if it was because of different cup measurements.

Thanks for the recipe. It helped me get out of my comfort zone and try the much eluding plum cake!

Hi , made this today. It tasted yum.but the top crumb was burnt completely d rest was perfect though.its not just with ur recipie most of d time this is d issue.i kept it for 55 mins at 170c just in 15 mins I got the perfect crumb colour but d inside was gooyey n cooked only in 50 mins..shud I cover it with a foil? If I do will it raise ? I m amateur in baking.ur guidance will b of great help.

seems like your oven temperature is off. or you are placing the cake too high in the oven. make sure you place in the centre rack. after our cake has baked for 2/3 of the time, you can cover loosely with foil without affecting outcome so yes, definitely try that too

I tried this yesterday, and it was yum ! You forgot to mention that it gets darker and yummier the morning after 🙂

I was wondering about the measurements though. When I weighed 1 cup (240 ml) of flour, it was only some 100-something mg. So I used the weighted measures for all the other ingredients, which resulted in a much bigger cake.

Next time I’ll try it using the cup measure, maybe I’ll get a smaller 6-in cake 🙂

Hi Nags
I have tried this recipe 3-4 times already and it has come out well every time.. Only problem is the fruits were settled down inspire of dredging them in the flour.. Any suggestions? I used half the measurement of sugar since the given measurement will make cake super sweet.. ( I made cake with 3 cups of flour). Thanks a lot and Merry Christmas!

I tried making the sugar syrup yesterday. But when I let it cool it turned rock solid. Did I boil it too long? Or is that how it’s supposed to be? Can I add some water and try boiling it again? Please help!

Seems like the sugar wasn’t caramelised properly. I have mentioned in a couple of places that this recipe does make a sweet fruit cake and you should adjust to your taste. Maybe try with 1/2 cup sugar for syrup and 1/2 cup in batter next time?

Hi Nags, looking forward to make this cake for this xmas 🙂 pls cud u confirm if I’m right in guessing that 1 cup flour wud be 200gms (as per your cup size) and 2/3rd cup butter is 150gms(googled it) ? If possible plz cud u Let me know the measurement in grams of flour, butter and sugar. I’ve seen that many ppl use same weight for all these three ingredients. Can that be right ? Pls advice 🙂

Just use whatever cups you have, as long as you are using the same set for all ingredients, it should work out fine. The eggs in Singapore are similar in size to US. For reference, should be around 55gm each.

Hi there Irene, thank you for the kind words 🙂 I haven’t tried this specific recipe in a loaf pan but it should definitely work. Just start checking at the 40 minute mark but baking time shouldn’t vary too much. Make sure to fill the loaf pan less than 3/4 of the way otherwise the centre may not cook well.

So, my ‘cakes’ came out perfect! I made some changes… I doubled your recipe, and they fit perfectly in 6 mini loaf pans, and I baked it for 40 mins. Thanks for the recipe. I am so excited! Now everyone’s getting fruit cake for Christmas!

Hi Priya, you can use the electric blender after adding flour and eggs and beat briefly after each addition. Just be careful not to overbeat once the flour starts getting added, otherwise the cake will turn a bit rubbery. Honestly, I didn’t use an electric beater at all the last time I baked this and it still came out super good. You can definitely add presoaked fruits too, just be aware the batter will be more moist and may need to be baked a tad longer. Start checking from the 45 minute mark.

Been making this cake for over 3 years now and love it. I was originally worried about making the syrup but now feel like a pro.. lol… Thank you for updating stepwise pictures of the fruit cake. I usually skip the nuts but think I should now add after seeing your last picture.. haha 😀

Hi nags,
I just love this recipe of your it’s hit in hubby’s office I get special request for this cake during Christmas season. I have been baking this cake from last 3years regularly ,thanks for this awesome recipe.

Thank you Nags for this awesome recipe& due credit to your mom for measurements.. I did the non alcoholic version with orange juice and it turned out awesome. Even my mom loved it. I was anxious about making caramel and did burn it once. Good thing I tasted burnt caramel so that I know how not to burn it 😉 This one is a keeper

This was the first time I tried baking a cake. It was a super-duper hit ! Followed the detailed instructions to the tee. I am yet to find a recipe that hasn’t failed me on this site, Nags. Hats off to your Amma who remembered this recipe.

Thank u so much for this recipe . I was looking for the perfect fruit cake recipe and this was it . Many thanks to you and Omana Paul for it . The cake was such a hit that it was oer on Christmas day itself and i have promised to bake it one more time for the new year before school starts . The only thing i added differently were the dry fruits which i had already soaked in rum …….but it only made the cake tastier . Thanks once again for this recipe .

Hello Nags,The cake looks really yummy n I desperately want to try it. Have a small confusion though, in an earlier comment u mentioned ur cup measure to approximately 200gms, where as if u r using a 200 ml cup, the flour measure will be about 100 gms. Could u please tell me the cup measure that u use in all ur baking recipes

Prathibha, my cup weights out 200grams of sugar and approximately the amount of flour and 200ml of water. These are the only ingredients I have tried to test out because every ingredient that you measure out 1 cup of will differ in weight (because of volume differences). This is the reason why I choose to measure in cups while baking.

I am not sure how 200ml cup will measure out only 100gm flour. That doesn't sound right to me, I would assume 200ml is approximately same as 200grams.

Actually I too use a 200ml cup for measuring n sometimes a scale too. As far as I've seen, if I measure out 1 cup of flour, it's about 100 gms or a lil more. Anyway, I'll try it ur way. U've used a 200ml cup to measure the flour n all the other ingredients right?

Hi Nagalakshmi, Thank you so much for this superb recipe, I was having guests over for Christmas and wanted to bake a fruit cake myself so i looked up the internet and found yours the most simple one. I made the cake and I must tell you it turned out too good, all my guests were really impressed by it.

Hello, thanks for the wonderful recipe, I tried it 2 days back and it came out excellent in taste, although the raisins sank to the bottom. I'm planning to bake it again soon. Could you tell me the cup measurement that is used here. I used170 gm as my measurement for one cup. Since the number of eggs is fixed, which is 3,I'm assuming the cup has to be fixed in weight as well. Awaiting your reply, before I go n bake it again 🙂 thanks!

I tried it, It turned out really well and tasty. The recipe was not that hard and the best part is alchohol free. The only issue I had was, even though i soaked the dried fruits and nuts in flour for about 15-20 mts, they sank to the bottom. Should I wash the fruits/nuts before soaking them with flour?

Hi nags, This being the Xmas season, I wanted to gift my in laws with a rich plum cake. So while googling for a good recipe, I found yours and found it interesting. But I am very disappointed like a couple of your readers. The batter was not very runny, and the most saddest part, while in the oven, the batter kept rising and rising and the whole thing was overflowing. Finally after 50mins when I took the cake out of the oven, it didn't rise at all. After giving it time time to cool when I unmoulded it, the cake was very sticky

Frankly speaking, no clue who posted this recipe. Anyway I have just tried my luck with this and as I key in this few words, cake is getting baked and another 20 minutes more to go. Shall give my humble comments soon. Anyway… smells really good.

Frankly speaking, no clue who posted this recipe. Anyway I have just tried my luck with this … first time with plum cake and as I key in this few words, cake is getting baked; another 20 minutes more to go. Shall give my humble comments soon. Anyway… smells really good.

HiI tried this cake last week. But it didnt raise well. I used only 2 eggs and lesser quantity of dry fruits(3/4 cup altogether). The cake tasted very good. Though i coated the raisins and with flour,all the raisins were settled at the bottom of the pan. i will make it again next week.

I really miss this cake… And Mrs. Omana Paul you had mentioned, if she is from Kottayam, then you are talking about my Aunt. Her super speciality is however, moist black forest cake that she makes decorated with sugar beads and works. If you get that perfect recipie from her, THAT would be an all time hit. Thanks for sharing my Aunt's(?) recipe. I will try this soon

I really miss this cake – Mrs. Omana Paul you had mentioned, if she is from Kottayam, then you are talking about my aunt – Her specialty is however Moist Black Forest Cake !! If she ever gives you that perfect recipe, then that'd be an all time hit

im quite impressed with the recipes you have given here , actually we are a Dehradun based Company making the same product .we would like to send you a sample of our creation – Eltham – Plum CakeKindly send me your address so that i can parcel my cake and will feel obliged if you can provide some feedback for the same.

I've always wanted to make this moist Kerala style cake and didn't want to use alcohol. Your recipe was a blessing to find. Thank you. But unfortunately my attempt didn't turn out good. It tastes good but the texture is all wrong. When i made the batter itself it was stiff. Now I did substitute butter for oil and used a square pan instead. It wasn't moist at all despite my attempt to soften the batter with a few tsps of milk. and the top and edges are hard and crunchy. What did i do wrong? Any suggestions?

very sorry to hear it didn't turn out well. it's a bit hard to tell exactly why since i don't have enough info to do that. oil could be a factor but can't be the only one. maybe it's the way you measure the flour because sometimes, when you pack it in too tight, there's too much of it which results in a very dry cake. also, since you say the corners turned crunchy, i think the oven temperature was too high. but bottom line, seems like the cake needed more liquid and i am guessing a few tsps of milk didn't cut it.

I've always wanted to make this moist Kerala style cake and finding your recipe was a blessing. I was excited. Did the caramelizing first and I took care not to burn it. It took too long i'm not a fan of this step. I then substituted butter for oil and stuck to the rest of recipe. The batter was stiff. So I tried softening it with a few spoons of milk. Kept my fingers crossed. I really hoped it would turn out the lovely colour like the picture. When it came out of the oven, it was hard and crunchy 🙁 I had it at 350F for 50 mins. It didn't rise much and is not moist at all. and the colour is NOT like the picture. very disappointed. What did i do wrong? Any suggestions?

Im a great fan of Plum cakes and tried this a few days back. i did Exactly as said in the recipie but used a glass tray for baking. i could not find baking powder so substituted it with bicarbonate of Soda…After 50 mins of baking the cake first rose then it just went down n finally after some time when i took it out.. it was all cheweeyy n stick..although it tasted good.. but i was very much disappionted..any idea wht could be the problem??

Thanks a lot for the recipe. It was the first time I ever tried baking a cake and I followed the recipe to the hilt. And it came out great, and it's been a big hit…. Thanks a lot! Keep up the good work! 🙂

Thanks a ton for putting this recipe up. The first time I made it the crust was kind on chewey, but I guess I baked it a little too long. The second time I baked it on 325F for 40 mins and it was more than perfect. It just dissapeared. It will be a christmas tradition for us now.

Madhu, very sorry to hear the fruit cake didn't turn out well. I haven't personally tried this recipe but my mom has made it multiple times and has always used this method successfully. Using a larger tray for the same amount of batter will make it thinner so there are chances of burning or cooking earlier, but I am not sure why the batter overflowed. It could be your baking powder. Not sure.

Hi Nags, I was looking for some alcohol free x'mas cakes and was really excited when i saw this recipe here. I wanted to bake it for a friend and surprise them with this,so started the prep with full josh. Got the caramel prep'ed and added it to the cake with a lot of expectations.I used a 9" cake pan as I didnt have a 6", I thought it should be ok but then the excitement didnt last quite long.After a few mins of letting the cake in the oven, my mom called me to check on the cake as she smelled something to be burning. I told no not cant be the cake as that was the last thing i expected today to happen. I turned on the oven lights and found that the cake batter was raising up and was overflowing out of the pan, I was very disappointed but still didnt want to give up. I kept a sheet tray down to catch up the drippings and then let it stay in the oven for 40 more mins, as time went by, I started to see more cake batter coming out of the pan and drip down again :(. At the end of 50 mins, I checked for the consistency and found that the inside of the cake was nowhere near firm, it was just ooey gooey, I kept it for few more mins, still nothing happened. So gave up with a heavy heart and had to trash the cake. I think the main culprit is the caramel in the cake, my mom says one should not add water during the caramel making process but instead just get the sugar browned. I'm not sure about this but did want to let you know so you could tell me what can be done next time to make this better!!! Not trying to be a critic here but just wanted to share my experience!!

Hi Madhu, I tried the cake yesterday n went through exactly what u have mentioned. Got the burning smell early during baking too but I just let it cook another 10 minutes more and then it was perfect. The gooey part in the middle which I had checked earlier too was baked well.

This cake is incredible and thanks for sharing! I’ve been inspired to feature this post in today's Friday Food Fetish roundup. If you have any objections, please let me know. Have a wonderful holiday and keep amazing food coming!

Oh my, the cake looks so moist and delicious. Kerala is the place to be for Christmas with celebrations almost everywhere. Isn't it Nags. :-). Good that you are home this year. Enjoy with friends & family, Merry Christmas!

Ah, That is a great one nags….I have one fruit cake recipe, alcohol free lying in my draft for more than a year now!So lazy to type a long recipe!i love the picture and ur recipe is quite simple!!This will tempt anyone to make as it requires no soaking!

I LOVE this Plum Cake!! My small town had a famous bakery which made this cake in a particular style which is the only way I can enjoy plum cake and yours looks SOOOO close to it! DO you think there is any chance of making this eggless? If I succeed I will post it on my blog 🙂

Great recipe ! I have soaked the fruits and nuts a couple of weeks back when you posted the link to Swapna's Kerala plum cake. All set to bake my first Christmas cake with that recipe…I saw your youtube video on google products and am impressed !! Great going girl !!

Thank you Nagalakshmi for posting this! I was looking for alcohol-free and no pre-soaking of the dry fruits Christmas cake recipe. I ve a chinese 5 spice powder. can i use that to replace 1 clove + 1 cardamom pod + small piece of cinnamon + a pinch nutmeg?Ur snowball cookies r fabulous! tried it 2 weeks ago n again on sunday! thank u!